Part of the job description?

Posted by Police Line on October 17th, 2012

Just a quick vignette from the scene at Crosby and New streets.

Police were searching for Ricky Smith following a stabbing on New Street this afternoon, and they believed Smith may have been in his family’s home nearby. Police asked to search the home, and were rebuffed.

The family became very angry when police indicated they would seek a warrant.

A middle-aged man who kept referring to Smith as his brother noticed that a Lowell Police officer who I won’t identify was black, like Smith and his family.

The middle-aged man proceeded to tell the officer that he was a _____ since he was siding with his fellow police officers, instead of the family.

The blank space above can be filled with a racial slur that begins with N.

The officer the slur was directed at is over 6-feet tall, and over 200 pounds of muscle.

What did he do?

He smiled and walked away while his fellow officers dealt with the angry guy.

I’ve seen a lot of disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace arrests over the years that were based on far less yelling and screaming, without racial slurs being used.

Restraint on the part of police doesn’t often make a good story, though. Imagine if the roles in this situation were reversed?